Life in the Fast Lane
by Riley Doran
Summary: A group of teens living in the suburbs growing up and living life.
1. Chapter 1

Elyssa Maybaum slid on her brown faux suede Hush Puppie loafers over her uniform stockings. She rushed out of her room and downstairs into the foyer of her family's little suburban home. In the attached living room, her older brother Damien was waiting for her. She ran into the kitchen to grab a quick protein bar for breakfast, kissed her father goodbye and ran back into the living room. Elyssa, or Elly as her friends called her, tucked her long, dark brown hair behind her ears as Damien grabbed his car keys off the coffee table in front of him.

"Next time, try taking a little longer," He commented at her facetiously. Elly hated how he could be ready in ten minutes and still look so put together. He never tried to look nice but still, he always looked better than her. His dark, shaggy hair hug just below his ears, almost covering his face. His school uniform of a blue blazer, a white button up shirt and khaki pants always looked perfect. Of course Elly was not jealous of him, but she still hated that all her effort to look nice did absolutely nothing. Well, there was her hideous school uniform of a blue knit cardigan, a white button up shirt and a blue knee length plaid skirt.

"Sorry. I wanted to look nice for the first day of school." He shrugged and walked outside to where his old rusty pick-up truck was parked in the driveway and put his guitar in the back seat. Elly threw her bag into the back seat and hopped into the front seat, "We're not even late anyway. You just want to see Nicole. You haven't seen her all summer! How could have possibly survived?" Elly knew about her brother's huge crush on a girl in his senior class, Nicole Reagan. Elly couldn't deny that she was absolutely the most gorgeous girl in the world, but she also knew Damien had no shot with her. He was the lead singer in a punk rock band and she was the most preppy, gorgeous and not to mention wealthy girl in town and probably in New Jersey.

"Shut up, Elly. I'm over her. And, for your information, me and Paige have a date tonight." Paige was Damien's best friend since sixth grade. Elly could always feel a little chemistry between them. What she really wanted to know was who took the first step. Paige was so outspoken and didn't care what people thought. She wore cheep clothes and no makeup. Sometimes it barely looked like she brushed her hair. Elly thought she would be potentially pretty if she cared more about herself. She also wondered what compelled them to actually go on a date together.

"Sure, and I'm not friends with Cam anymore." Cam and Elly, her best friend, had been inseparable ever since he helped her clean up her spilled glue in first grade. "Let's just get to school. You're barely even moving the car."

Damien swung his hair out of his face and picked up the speed. Of course he didn't want to admit to Elly that he was burning to see Nicole. He had longed to see her beaming green eyes and pale blonde hair all summer. He couldn't wait to see her tanned skin from lying out on the beach.

Logan Johnson pulled into his parking space at school just as his best friend, Aiden Morrison called him, "Hey man, just pulled in. What's up?"

"Hey dude," He heard Aiden's smokey voice come over the ear piece. He could tell Aiden had just smoked a joint, just like he did before school every morning, "Nicole just told me about some senior shit meeting? Anyway, we're gonna miss it, I'm running mad late."

"And?"

"I don't know, whatever, man. Never mind, I'll see you in class. Oh shit!" Logan heard Aiden shout into the earpiece and a girl, presumably Nicole, scream.

"Dude, you ok?"

"Yeah, man. No big deal. Just lost control of the car a little."

"A little? Fuck, Aiden, we almost died! Hang up, you'll see him later!" Nicole's soft, but obviously angry voice, came over the phone.

"I gotta go. Later." Aiden hung up the phone. Logan never really trusted Aiden's driving skills, let alone when he was stoned and on the phone at the same time. Logan couldn't imagine why Nicole would ever get in a car with Aiden. He also couldn't figure out why Aiden picked up Nicole before school but not his own girlfriend, Erin Halpern, who was on Aiden's way to school. Erin and Nicole were best friends, too, so it wasn't like he had to choose one over the other. Even if he did, you would think it would be his girlfriend.

A rusty old pick up truck pulled into the space next to Logan's and a petite brunette hopped out of the passenger's side. He recognized the driver as Damien Maybaum. When the girl saw Logan standing next to his car, right next to her, she looked as though she had seen a celebrity. Logan smiled his infectious smile at her and she smiled back nervously. He was used to having this effect on girls. Whenever him, Aiden and their other friend Aaron Johnson went anywhere, girls swooned over them. They knew they were the most attractive guys in school and possibly even in town.

"Elly, you coming?" Logan heard Damien call to her from the other side of the pick up. Was she Damien's girlfriend? Logan sure hoped not because this girl had a certain innocence surrounding her that he liked. He also thought her long brown hair was sexy the way it hung to her mid-back.

"Shut up, I'm getting my stuff." She turned around to look at Logan again and he raised his eyebrows at her in a very flirtatious way. This time she actually smiled normally and walked away.

"Dude, you goin' to class or what?" Logan heard Aaron come up from behind him. Aaron flung his sandy blonde surfer hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah. You know who that girl is?" He nodded in Elly's direction.

"I think she's Damien's freshman sister. Ally or something? She's in my brother's class. Why?"

"Freshman?" As seniors, all the guys knew it was not right to date a freshman.

"Yeah, but she's pretty hot." Aaron eyed her long legs extending from her uniform skirt.

"She sure is. Let's get going." They walked along the side walk to the front of the main school building. The school was laid out like a college. Each department had it's own building with the main building in the middle with the cafeteria, lockers and student lounge.

"Can you please drive faster?" Nicole cried to Aiden as he pulled into the parking lot, "I want to see everyone before classes start."

"Chill." Aiden's head swirled when he saw Erin, his girlfriend, standing in his parking spot, "Fuck."

"What is she doing?"

"Being jealous that I drove you to school and not her." He rolled down the window of his car, "Babe, please move. We're late enough as it is!" She smiled a bored smile and moved to the side. Aaron pulled in and got out of his car to find Erin standing right there.

"Hey, babe." She seemed mad at him, and he had no idea why, "Did you smoke before you got here?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Then we can talk about this later. Hi Nicole." She smiled at her best friend smugly.

"Hi?" Nicole walked over to Aiden, "what's her problem?"

"I have no idea." He threw his head back in exhaustion and leaned on his car. He hated when Erin tried to cause a problem between them. She did it all the time. Aiden and Nicole walked into the main building and over to where they saw Logan and Aaron staring at someone that Aiden couldn't figure out who it was.

"Nice of you two to show up." Aaron commented.

"Well, if Aiden here could drive faster, we would have been here sooner."

"Looks like our little buddy smoked a little too much, huh?" Logan nudged the spaced-out Aiden on the arm.

"What's up with Erin? She seems pissed at Aiden or something." Nicole asked Logan and Aaron.

"Dunno. She walked in the front and right out the back. She seemed like she was in a hurry to get somewhere." Aaron observed, "What did you do this time, man?"

"You know her. I probably didn't return a text or something." Nicole reached into the front pocket of his khakis and pulled out his phone.

"1 missed call." She read off the front screen of his phone.

"Fuck that." Aiden said and walked away, forgetting his phone. Nicole ran after him.

"Forgetting this?" She stood in front of his waving his phone in his face.

"Yeah, thanks." He grabbed the phone out of her hand and hung his head. As slowly raised his head, observing Nicole's stunning body the whole way up. Why did his girlfriend's best friend have to be so hot? The bell rang to signal the students to head to their first period class.

"Mr. Maybaum?" Mr Perez called attendance in Damien's first period AP Spanish class.

"Yeah." Damien looked around the room to see whoelse was in his class. He already knew that Nicole was in his class because he spotted her as soon as he walke din the classroom. She was chatting away with her friend Blair. Mr. Perez finished attendance and started writing on the board.

"Your first assignment-" The room filled with groans, "Shh, it's easy. I promise. It will be a partner project, and no, I choose your partner." Mr Perez continued his explaination of the project on Spanish. Damien wondered who his partner would be and secretly hoped it would be Nicole. "Let's get to who your partners will be. Laura and Mike. Paige and Aaron. Nicole and Damien." As Mr. Perez continued reading off the names, Damien looked over to Nicole to see her reaction. He found her looking back at him and she smiled a million dollar smile at him. His heart melted and then Mr. Perez asked to class t sit wth their partners. Nicole walked over to Damien and sat down.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked him.

"Uh, hey. Nothin', you?" Damien never knew why, but he was always so nervous around pretty girls. He really hated it, especially in a situation like this where he should be trying to impress Nicole.

"I'm good. Ok, so which ancient civilization should we pick?" She opened up a notebook, turned towards him and crossed her legs.

"Well, we could try the Mayans. I mean if you like that? There is probably a ton of information on them." Nicole nodded ans raised her hand.

"Yes, Nicole?" Mr. Perez walked over to them.

"Quiero los Mayans, por favor."

"Muy bien, son personas muy interesantes." He wrote their choice down and walked back to the front of the classroom.

"So I wasn't really listening when he was explaing the project. What's this about?" Damien seemed to be loosening up, or at least he thought so.

"We have to do an oral report on the customs of the Mayans." She looked at him with sparkling green eyes. "Get that hair out of your eyes, I can't see you!" She smiled and reached over to him and pushed his hair out of his face. The bell rang and everyone packed up their stuff and left, except for Nicole. "Do you have a cell phone?"

"Uh, yeah." He shoved his notebook back in his bag.

"Can I have your number so I can call to work on the projct after school and stuff." She handed him her pink Motorola Razor and he programmed his number into her phone. "Thanks! See you later!"

Damien walked out of the room and bumped into Paige. She was also the drummer for his band, Welcome to Sunday. She smiled widely at him.

"You look happy." He noticed.

"I guess I am." She giggled, "I think me and Aaron are gonna have a pretty good project. I mean, he's good at Spanish, and I'm okay at it. And he's so easy to get along with. He's a great guy, really."

"That's, uh, great." Damien was never really a fan of Aaron and his friends. They bullied him a lot all through elementary and middle school. He used to think Paige had a crush on Aaron, but that was way back in eighth grade. Maybe he was right?

"You and Nicole seem to get along."

"Yeah, I think she's great." Damien hung his head and watched his feet as they shuffled through the busy hallway.

"Damien! Paige!" Their friend, and band-mate, Walker ran up behind them. He swung his arms around their shoulders and began walking between them. Walker played the bass for their band and they had known him since preschool.


	2. Chapter 2

Logan Johnson pulled into his parking space at school just as his best friend, Aiden Morrison called him, "Hey man, just pulled in. What's up?"

"Hey dude," He heard Aiden's smokey voice come over the ear piece. He could tell Aiden had just smoked a joint, just like he did before school every morning, "Nicole just told me about some senior shit meeting? Anyway, we're gonna miss it, I'm running mad late."

"And?"

"I don't know, whatever, man. Never mind, I'll see you in class. Oh shit!" Logan heard Aiden shout into the earpiece and a girl, presumably Nicole, scream.

"Dude, you ok?"

"Yeah, man. No big deal. Just lost control of the car a little."

"A little? Fuck, Aiden, we almost died! Hang up, you'll see him later!" Nicole's soft, but obviously angry voice, came over the phone.

"I gotta go. Later." Aiden hung up the phone. Logan never really trusted Aiden's driving skills, let alone when he was stoned and on the phone at the same time. Logan couldn't imagine why Nicole would ever get in a car with Aiden. He also couldn't figure out why Aiden picked up Nicole before school but not his own girlfriend, Erin Halpern, who was on Aiden's way to school. Erin and Nicole were best friends, too, so it wasn't like he had to choose one over the other. Even if he did, you would think it would be his girlfriend.

A rusty old pick up truck pulled into the space next to Logan's and a petite brunette hopped out of the passenger's side. He recognized the driver as Damien Maybaum. When the girl saw Logan standing next to his car, right next to her, she looked as though she had seen a celebrity. Logan smiled his infectious smile at her and she smiled back nervously. He was used to having this effect on girls. Whenever him, Aiden and their other friend Aaron Johnson went anywhere, girls swooned over them. They knew they were the most attractive guys in school and possibly even in town.

"Elly, you coming?" Logan heard Damien call to her from the other side of the pick up. Was she Damien's girlfriend? Logan sure hoped not because this girl had a certain innocence surrounding her that he liked. He also thought her long brown hair was sexy the way it hung to her mid-back.

"Shut up, I'm getting my stuff." She turned around to look at Logan again and he raised his eyebrows at her in a very flirtatious way. This time she actually smiled normally and walked away.

"Dude, you goin' to class or what?" Logan heard Aaron come up from behind him. Aaron flung his sandy blonde surfer hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah. You know who that girl is?" He nodded in Elly's direction.

"I think she's Damien's freshman sister. Ally or something? She's in my brother's class. Why?"

"Freshman?" As seniors, all the guys knew it was not right to date a freshman.

"Yeah, but she's pretty hot." Aaron eyed her long legs extending from her uniform skirt.

"She sure is. Let's get going." They walked along the side walk to the front of the main school building. The school was laid out like a college. Each department had it's own building with the main building in the middle with the cafeteria, lockers and student lounge.


	3. Chapter 3

"Can you please drive faster?" Nicole cried to Aiden as he pulled into the parking lot, "I want to see everyone before classes start."

"Chill." Aiden's head swirled when he saw Erin, his girlfriend, standing in his parking spot, "Fuck."

"What is she doing?"

"Being jealous that I drove you to school and not her." He rolled down the window of his car, "Babe, please move. We're late enough as it is!" She smiled a bored smile and moved to the side. Aaron pulled in and got out of his car to find Erin standing right there.

"Hey, babe." She seemed mad at him, and he had no idea why, "Did you smoke before you got here?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Then we can talk about this later. Hi Nicole." She smiled at her best friend smugly.

"Hi?" Nicole walked over to Aiden, "what's her problem?"

"I have no idea." He threw his head back in exhaustion and leaned on his car. He hated when Erin tried to cause a problem between them. She did it all the time. Aiden and Nicole walked into the main building and over to where they saw Logan and Aaron staring at someone that Aiden couldn't figure out who it was.

"Nice of you two to show up." Aaron commented.

"Well, if Aiden here could drive faster, we would have been here sooner."

"Looks like our little buddy smoked a little too much, huh?" Logan nudged the spaced-out Aiden on the arm.

"What's up with Erin? She seems pissed at Aiden or something." Nicole asked Logan and Aaron.

"Dunno. She walked in the front and right out the back. She seemed like she was in a hurry to get somewhere." Aaron observed, "What did you do this time, man?"

"You know her. I probably didn't return a text or something." Nicole reached into the front pocket of his khakis and pulled out his phone.

"1 missed call." She read off the front screen of his phone.

"Fuck that." Aiden said and walked away, forgetting his phone. Nicole ran after him.

"Forgetting this?" She stood in front of his waving his phone in his face.

"Yeah, thanks." He grabbed the phone out of her hand and hung his head. As slowly raised his head, observing Nicole's stunning body the whole way up. Why did his girlfriend's best friend have to be so hot? The bell rang to signal the students to head to their first period class.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mr. Maybaum?" Mr Perez called attendance in Damien's first period AP Spanish class.

"Yeah." Damien looked around the room to see whoelse was in his class. He already knew that Nicole was in his class because he spotted her as soon as he walke din the classroom. She was chatting away with her friend Blair. Mr. Perez finished attendance and started writing on the board.

"Your first assignment-" The room filled with groans, "Shh, it's easy. I promise. It will be a partner project, and no, I choose your partner." Mr Perez continued his explaination of the project on Spanish. Damien wondered who his partner would be and secretly hoped it would be Nicole. "Let's get to who your partners will be. Laura and Mike. Paige and Aaron. Nicole and Damien." As Mr. Perez continued reading off the names, Damien looked over to Nicole to see her reaction. He found her looking back at him and she smiled a million dollar smile at him. His heart melted and then Mr. Perez asked to class t sit wth their partners. Nicole walked over to Damien and sat down.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked him.

"Uh, hey. Nothin', you?" Damien never knew why, but he was always so nervous around pretty girls. He really hated it, especially in a situation like this where he should be trying to impress Nicole.

"I'm good. Ok, so which ancient civilization should we pick?" She opened up a notebook, turned towards him and crossed her legs.

"Well, we could try the Mayans. I mean if you like that? There is probably a ton of information on them." Nicole nodded ans raised her hand.

"Yes, Nicole?" Mr. Perez walked over to them.

"Quiero los Mayans, por favor."

"Muy bien, son personas muy interesantes." He wrote their choice down and walked back to the front of the classroom.

"So I wasn't really listening when he was explaing the project. What's this about?" Damien seemed to be loosening up, or at least he thought so.

"We have to do an oral report on the customs of the Mayans." She looked at him with sparkling green eyes. "Get that hair out of your eyes, I can't see you!" She smiled and reached over to him and pushed his hair out of his face. The bell rang and everyone packed up their stuff and left, except for Nicole. "Do you have a cell phone?"

"Uh, yeah." He shoved his notebook back in his bag.

"Can I have your number so I can call to work on the projct after school and stuff." She handed him her pink Motorola Razor and he programmed his number into her phone. "Thanks! See you later!"

Damien walked out of the room and bumped into Paige. She was also the drummer for his band, Welcome to Sunday. She smiled widely at him.

"You look happy." He noticed.

"I guess I am." She giggled, "I think me and Aaron are gonna have a pretty good project. I mean, he's good at Spanish, and I'm okay at it. And he's so easy to get along with. He's a great guy, really."

"That's, uh, great." Damien was never really a fan of Aaron and his friends. They bullied him a lot all through elementary and middle school. He used to think Paige had a crush on Aaron, but that was way back in eighth grade. Maybe he was right?

"You and Nicole seem to get along."

"Yeah, I think she's great." Damien hung his head and watched his feet as they shuffled through the busy hallway.

"Damien! Paige!" Their friend, and band-mate, Walker ran up behind them. He swung his arms around their shoulders and began walking between them. Walker played the bass for their band and they had known him since prescho


End file.
